Apparatus for decorating articles of different cross-sectional contours



1970 K. .LwHlTE 3,5408

APPARATUS FOR DECORATING ARTICLES OF DIFFERENT CRQSS-SECTIONAL CONTOURS Filed May 17, 1968 tates 3,540,968 APPARATUS FDR DECGRATING ARTICLES (IF DIFFERENT CROSS-SECTIGNAL CONTQURS Kenneth J. White, Framingham, Mass, assignor to Bennison Manufacturing Company, Framingham, Mass, a

corporation of Beiaware Filed May 17, 1963, Ser. No. 730,022 Int. Cl. B44c 1/24; B65'c 3/16 US. Cl. 156475 7 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE For decorating the sides of bottles and the like which have different shapes such as oval, square, etc., apparatus comprising means for pressing an ink strip against the bottle; while being rotated and means for driving the strip and the periphery of a bottle at the same linear velocity irrespective of the shape of the bottle.

According to this invention the apparatus comprises means for feeding the strip past a transfer station along a predetermined path at a predetermined speed, a rotor part on one side of said path to support the article with its noncircular outline presented to the strip, a roller part on the other side of the path for pressing the strip against the article, the axes of said parts extending longitudinally of each other, and kinematic means for conjointly driving the parts at a peripheral velocity equal to said speed and concomitantly moving one of said axes transversely of the other axis so that the periphery of the roller part follows the noncircular outline of the article. The apparatus has means for yieldingly forcing one of said axes toward the other axis so as to compress said strip between the article and roller part. Said kinematic means comprises a driver for the rotor part and the roller part is driven frictionally through the compressed strip. The driver comprises a member having the same outline as the article, and said member may be a cam, a gear around the periphery of said member, a sprocket chain mounted on the periphery of said member, etc.

For the purpose of illustration typical embodiments are shown in the accompanying drawings in which FIG. 1 is a plan View;

FIG. 2 is a section on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section on line 33 of FIG. 2; and

FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are plan views of modifications.

The general construction and mode of operation is similar to that of the aforesaid patents and, being well known, only need be outlined as follows. A label strip S, such as disclosed in the Shepherd Pats. 2,990,311, 2,862,- 832 and 2,989,413, is fed from a reel 1 to a takeup reel 2 past an applicator roller 3 which presses the strip against the side of a bottle B supported on a rotor 4 to transfer ink from the strip to the bottle. In the case of plastic bottles the bottle is filled with air under pressure by an inflator 6 much as disclosed in the Flood Pat. 3,064,714 and the Long Pat. 3,261,734, the inflator also holding the bottle firmly on the rotor. To transfer ink without smudging, of course it is necessary for the strip and the peripheries of the bottle and applicator roll to travel at the same linear velocity. According to the present invention this is accomplished as follows.

tent

The rotor 4 is rotated by a driver 7 having the same outline as the bottle. In FIGS. 1 and 2 the driving means comprises a sprocket chain 8 fast to the periphery of the driver, the chain meshing with a pinion 9 driven by motor M. The driver 7 has a shaft 10 journaled in a support 11 which slides in a stationary guide 12 and is urged by spring 13 to push the bottle toward the roller 3 to compress the strip therebetween. Thus the roller 3 is driven frictionally through the compressed strip so that the linear velocities of the strip and the peripheries of the bottle and roller are equal. As the noncircular bottle rotates, the support 11 moves back and forth in the guide 12 and inasmuch as the driver 7 has the same outline as the' bottle it is kept in mesh with the pinion 9 by the spring 13. To adapt the apparatus to a differently shaped bottle it is necessary merely to substitute a driver 7 having the different shape.

The modifications of FIGS. 4, 5 and 6 are like the embodiment of FIGS. 1 to 3 and corresponding parts are correspondingly designated. However instead of the chain 8 and sprocket wheel 9, FIG. 4 has a cam 7 and cam follower 9, FIG. 5 has a gear 7" meshing with a pinion 9", and FIG. 6 has pins 8 meshing with a pinion 9".

I claim:

1. For printing noncircular articles from a strip having transfer indicia thereon, the strip feeding past a transfer station along a predetermined path at a predetermined speed, a rotor part on one side of said path to support the article with its noncircular outline presented to the strip, a roller part on the other side of the path for pressing the strip against the article, the axes of said parts being substantially parallel, characterized by kinematic means for continuously rotating the article about its axis at a variable angular velocity so that the peripheral velocity of the portion in contact with the strip is constant and equal to said speed, one of said axes moving back and forth toward and from the other axis so that the periphery of the roller follows the noncircular outline of the article.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 further characterized by means for yieldingly forcing one of said axes toward the other axis so as to compress said strip between the article and roller part.

3. Apparatus according to claim 2 wherein said kinematic means comprises a driver for the rotor part, said yielding means pinching the strip between the article and rotor part so that the roller part is driven frictionally through the compressed strip.

4. Apparatus according to claim 3 wherein said driver comprises a member having the same outline as the article.

5. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said member is a cam.

6. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said kinematic means comprises a gear around the periphery of said member.

7. Apparatus according to claim 4 wherein said kinematic means comprises a sprocket chain mounted on the periphery of said member.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,111,446 11/1963 Flood 156542 X 3,126,309 3/1964 Manas et al. 156-566 3,208,897 9/1965 Flood 156 475 BENJAMIN A. BORCHELT, Primary Examiner J. J. DEVITT, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. l5 6-5 42 

